This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. Dr. Marusinec is a Board Certified Pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where she is on the Clinical Practice Council. She received her M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1995 and completed her residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Pediatrics in 1998. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Society for Pediatric Urgent Care.

There are 37 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition where your thyroid is overactive. Your thyroid is essential because it creates a hormone that helps regulate many bodily functions, including your heartbeat and your breathing.[1]XResearch source When you have hyperthyroidism, your body is overproducing the hormone that regulates those systems, which can cause problems with those systems.[2]XResearch source

Look for a change in heartbeat. Because the hormone affects your heart rate, you can have a faster heartbeat, an irregular heartbeat, or a pounding heartbeat due to hyperthyroidism. You'll usually feel an irregular or pounding heartbeat, but you can check to see if your pulse is 100 bpm or more.[3]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

To check your heart rate, find your pulse. Use a stopwatch to time 15 seconds while counting beats. Multiply that number by four to get your beats per minute. So if you have 25 beats or more in 15 seconds, you should talk to your doctor.

Check for changes in your body temperature. That is, you may be more prone to sweating or notice the heat more. You might also have hot flashes.[4]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Pay attention to your breathing. If you're having issues with breathing, you could have a hyperthyroid problem. Pay particular attention to your breathing when you're sitting to see if you have trouble with it then.[6]XResearch source

Pay attention to your mood and concentration. Hyperthyroidism can make you irritable. In fact, you may find your moods swing from one extreme to another. Additionally, it can affect your concentration.[9]XResearch source

Look for changes in menstrual cycles and bowel movements. You may find you are having to go to the bathroom more often, and your menstrual cycles could change, either becoming heavier, lighter, or irregular.[10]XResearch source However, your periods are most likely to become lighter, or you may not have them at all.[11]XResearch source

Notice fatigue. If you find yourself exhausted or notice that you seem weaker than usual, it can also be a symptom of hyperthyroidism.[12]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Check for swelling. With hyperthyroidism, your thyroid can become enlarged. Check for swelling near the bottom of your neck in the front.[13]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Look for cosmetic changes. You may notice thinning hair, brittle hair, dry skin, bulging eyes, or thinning skin.[14]XResearch source,[15]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Know the disease is hard to diagnose. That is, many of these symptoms can point to other diseases, so your doctor may not immediately lean towards hyperthyroidism.[17]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Have blood drawn. The main way to check for hyperthyroidism is to have blood drawn. Your blood will then be tested for its TSH level. TSH, or the thyroid stimulating hormone, is produced by pituitary gland. If you have too much of the thyroid hormone, the level of TSH will be pushed down because the thyroid is already stimulated too much. Therefore, if your level of TSH is low, you likely have hyperthyroidism.[18]XResearch source

Your doctor may decide to run additional tests, such as checking the levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, or looking for antithyroid antibodies.

Typically, if your TSH levels are low, your doctor will help you with ways to raise your TSH levels.

Look for the cause. Hyperthyroidism is caused by other problems, often by either Graves' disease or overproducing nodules. Your doctor can screen for these problems.[19]XResearch source

To screen for the cause, your doctor may use radioactive iodine. Your thyroid uses iodine when creating hormones, and your doctor can check to see how much iodine it has absorbed. If it absorbs too much, it means your thyroid is likely making too much of the thyroid hormone thyroxine.[20]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Another way to screen for the cause is through a thyroid scan. You are injected with a radioactive substance, which allows the doctor to create an image of your thyroid.[21]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Your doctor may also examine your thyroid with a thyroid ultrasound. This procedure uses sound waves to create an image of your thyroid and does not use ionizing radiation.

Using antithyroid medication. The purpose of antithyroid medication is to change the rate that the thyroid creates hormones by slowing it down. The main medication used today is methimazole.[22]XResearch source

This treatment takes anywhere from 1 1/2 months to 3 months to work.[23]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

One problem with this treatment is it doesn't always work permanently.[24]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Another issue is the drugs in this category can cause liver damage. Propylthiouracil is more likely to cause liver damage than methimazole, which is why it is used less often.[25]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Trying radioactive iodine, which you take orally. The point of the iodine is to shrink your thyroid glands to slow down production. It may take up to half a year to work effectively.[26]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

One problem with this treatment is it can slow down production too much, so you may end up needing to take a replacement hormone.[27]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Have your thyroid removed. A more extreme option is to have your thyroid removed completely using surgery, so that it can't produce more of the hormone thyroxine. However, you will, of course, need to take a hormone replacement with this option, as your body needs that hormone to survive.[28]XResearch source

Treat the symptoms. You may also need to take drugs to treat the symptoms. For instance, beta blockers, normally used to treat high blood pressure, can treat heart palpitations.[29]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source Beta blockers can also help with symptoms such as nervousness and sweating.[30]XResearch source

Adjust your diet. You may need to increase your calorie intake if your weight loss has negatively affected your health or if you have lost muscle mass. Protein can help both with increasing your weight and building muscle.[31]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Take vitamin D. Hyperthyroidism can make your bones more brittle. To help protect yourself against conditions such as osteoporosis, you can take a vitamin D supplement to help your bones absorb calcium.[33]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

If you're an adult male under age 71, you should be taking 1,000 milligrams a day. Women should take 1,000 milligrams per day, as well, until you reach age 51, when you should be taking 1,200 milligrams per day.[34]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source

Skip caffeine. Caffeine can make certain side effects of the disease worse, such as the fast heart rate and anxiety. Be sure you pay attention to hidden caffeine. For instance, you may not realize that chocolate contains some caffeine.[35]XResearch source

Community Q&A

Mostly, just avoid iodine-heavy stuff like iodized salt. You might also want to cut back on the red meat and avoid eating too much white bread, pasta and sugar in general. Also, if you have prescribed medication, you need to be regular with it.

Go to your doctor and have it removed surgically, which is the only way. Your doctor will run a few tests to determine if removing the thyroid is a good fit for you. If it is, your doctor will work with you to determine a date and time and give instructions on what to do before and after the surgery.

Warnings

Seek medical attention if you experience symptoms of thyroid crisis (storm), which is a worsening of symptoms due to stress or infection. If you have a fever, decreased alertness, a rapid and irregular heartbeat, or abdominal pain, contact your doctor immediately.[37]XResearch source

About this article

This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. Dr. Marusinec is a Board Certified Pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where she is on the Clinical Practice Council. She received her M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1995 and completed her residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Pediatrics in 1998. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Society for Pediatric Urgent Care.

To treat hyperthyroidism, it's important that you talk to your doctor so they can help figure out the best treatment plan for you, which may include antithyroid medication, radioactive iodine, or surgery to have your thyroid removed. In addition to these treatment options, there are things you can do at home to help your hyperthyroidism, like practicing meditation and yoga to reduce stress, taking vitamin D supplements, and adopting a healthy diet. For more advice from our Medical co-author, like how to recognize the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, read on!